Top 8 Cheapest Forklift Training Courses in Australia

The following table shows the cheapest forklift courses in Australia. The price is subject to course providers’ change. If you are are a course provider and believe you can offer cheaper price or the price the incorrect, please feel free to contact us and we will update the list as soon as possible.

How to Get a Forklift Licence in Australia

Are you considering working as a forklift operator? If so then you are about to undertake a new and interesting career. However any forklift operator in Australia is required by law to be licensed, or at least in training. Find out more about how to get a forklift licence right here.

Whilst working as a forklift operator is a rewarding and worthwhile career the unfortunate reality is that forklifts, and the operation of forklifts, can be a serious industrial safety hazard.

Many thousands of people make a living as forklift operators in Australia; however the number of people injured and killed by forklift accidents numbers in the hundreds every year.

For this reason there are very specific requirements for forklift operators to undertake recognised forklift training courses and, following training, to apply for and hold a nationally recognised forklift licence.

Forklift safety is a serious business. The operation of a forklift can be hazardous to both the driver as well as surrounding individuals.

You must have a licence to operate a forklift, or if not, be “in training” to operate a forklift with the intention of undertaking the assessment, and be within the sight and hearing of a licensed forklift operator at all times.

This website seeks to explain the requirements for qualifying for, applying for and holding a forklift licence in Australia.

Background to forklift licensing requirements

As part of the Council of Australian Governments’ National Reform Agenda, Safework Australia was tasked with the job of harmonising work health and safety laws throughout Australia. One of the principal reasons why this was undertaken was to provide all workers in various industries in Australia with the same standards of health and safety protection regardless of which work they do or which State or Territory they work in.

If there are clear and consistent work health and safety laws across all of the jurisdictions in Australia then there are clear, consistent and well-known responsibilities and obligations for workers and employers throughout the country.

Whether a forklift driver works in Melbourne or Brisbane or Geelong they are covered by the same standards and have the same rights and obligations.

Following this the national Model Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act) was enacted. This was then followed by local WHS Acts implementing the new laws found in the national WHS Act. Under this Act there are certain types of work which require licensing; one of these is what is known as high risk work.

There are specific categories of work which are classed as high risk work, and 2 of those categories are operating a forklift other than an order picking/stock picking forklift, and the other is operating an order picking/stock picking forklift. Accordingly anyone undertaking this type of work is required to be licensed.

However the licencing is undertaken not by a national body but by individual State bodies. As a result there are now individual State and Territory authorities who offer nationally recognised licences, and any licensed person is able to undertake work in any State or Territory as the holder of one of these licences. Note that not only are licences recognised by all States but any suspension or cancellation of a licence in any one State is also recognised by all States.

These are national High Risk Work licences, for forklift drivers they are specifically High Risk Work licences for forklifts.

There are two types of forklift licences, an LF licence which licences you to operate any forklift except those which are classified as requiring an LO forklift licence. An LO class licence allows you to operate an Order Picker/Stock Picker type forklift.

As an example SafeWork in New South Wales is the licensing authority for NSW high risk work licences. Each State and Territory has its own licensing authority. Training courses for these 2 types of forklift licence are conducted under the National Standard for Licensing Persons

Performing High Risk Work and can only be conducted by an RTO (Registered Training Organisation).

The unit of competence is known as the National High Risk Licence Unit of Competence TLILIC2001A – Licence to Operate a Forklift Truck, or in the case of an LO licence Unit of Competence LILIC2002A – Licence to Operate an Order Picking Forklift Truck.

These qualifications can be undertaken on their own or as part of a wider course which includes these qualifications in that course.

Overview of a Forklift Training Course

The course undertaken to qualify for a TLILIC2001A licence to operate a forklift is based on the requirements of the National Standard for Licensing Persons Performing High Risk Work. A full and complete description of the course can be found right here.

This course can only be undertaken with a Registered Training Organisation.

Generally the course takes around 2 or 3 days, which will include assessment. There are also shorter refresher courses for experienced operators.

During that time attendees will learn a range of different skills to advance towards their forklift license. The unit description specifies that the course will “require the operator to be able to plan the work, conduct routine checks on the forklift, shift loads in a safe manner and shutdown and secure the equipment after the completion of operations.”

There is both practical and theoretical instruction. Course attendees will learn various skills involved in operating a forklift, but it is also important that attention be given to other matters such as risk assessment and control and identification of hazards, and therefore these subjects are also covered.

Instruction should cover identification of common workplace hazards such as roof heights and power lines and how to operate safely in these environments.

There will be instruction on general workplace health and safety legislation and procedures so that any applicant for a forklift license understands that they have a legal responsibility and duty of care to protect themselves and others from any potential harm by complying with all safe work practices.

Planning work in advance is very important and therefore time will be spent instructing students on how to appropriately plan their work in advance.

On completion of the course students generally get a temporary licence which allows them to work while they are waiting for their formal licence to arrive after application to the appropriate State or Territory authority.

Instruction will be given on all necessary paperwork which should be completed as part of the job.

Students will learn about the different kinds of forklift trucks and the circumstances in which each should be used. There will be practical instruction on forklift stability as well as load management. There will also be instruction on maximum load capacity and working load limit (WLL)

There are different types of attachments which can be used on forklifts and these should be covered, including using attachments safely within the limits of the manufacturer’s specifications and load chart.

Work for the course usually commences beforehand, upon enrolment students are forwarded a learner’s guide, which should be read and learned before the course commences, as well as a log book. Any work undertaken, both as a trainee and after obtaining a licence, is documented in the log book. Learning does not end with certification.

Cost of a Forklift Licence Course

The cost of a forklift training course varies from operator to operator, however as a general rule is somewhere around $500. Forklift training courses are GST exempt, and there will also be a fee for the licence itself, which varies slightly from State to State. In some circumstances there may be some form of rebate or subsidy available to some people undertaking a forklift training course. It doesn’t hurt, when considering a course, to ask the proposed provider of the course whether there are any subsidies or rebates which might apply to reduce the cost to you.

Applying for a HRW Licence as a Forklift Operator

What information must applicants for High Risk Work (HRW) Licences provide?

Under the requirements of the Model Work Health and Safety (cos) legislation every applicant for a

HRW licence must provide the following information:

1. Their full and correct name

2. Evidence of identity, for example a driver’s licence or passport, equaling 100 points of ID. Photo ID is essential

3. A recent passport sized photograph of themselves which will be attached to the licence

4. A copy of the Statement of attainment that they have successfully completed and been assessed for the relevant unit of competency for the HRW licence that they wish to apply for by an RTO (Registered Training Organisation)

Note that it is also required that an applicant has a certain minimum standard of English language.

An applicant for a HRW licence also needs to pay a licence fee, which varies slightly from State to State.

When applying for the licence applicants are expected to declare:

1. That they do not currently hold an equivalent HRW licence under any corresponding WHS law or by another WHS regulator

2. If they have been found guilty of any offence under the WHS act to all WHS regulations in any jurisdiction, or have other convictions

3. Whether they have entered into any enforceable undertaking under the WHS act or any WHS regulations in any jurisdiction

4. If they have had any previous equivalent to an HRW licence refused, cancelled or suspended under the WHS act or the WHS regulations in any jurisdiction.

Once a person has received a Statement of attainment by an RTO or a notice of satisfactory assessment by an assessor they must apply for their HRW licence within 60 days of that date.

HRW licences are required to be renewed every 5 years. A notice should be sent out to the licensee by the governing body which issued the licence notifying them that their licence should be renewed. This notice will be sent to the registered address of the operator, and for this reason if any change of address occurs at any time the licensee should notify the licensing body, or they may have their licence expire inadvertently.

Forklift Refresher Courses

As forklift design changes and as regulations change the conditions under which forklift drivers operate can also change.

Despite the fact that a driver may have been working for many years it is always worthwhile that employers enroll a driver in a forklift refresher course to update his/her understanding of forklift operation and safety.

For instance paperwork requirements change over time, and it’s important to update forklift operators on legal requirements for paperwork.

And drivers can pick up bad habits over the years, and be more prone to taking risks, even though they may not realise it.

And of course a forklift accident can be a disaster for everyone involved. Not only is it a disaster for the people injured, if any, but it may also be a disaster for the employer, for example in repairs and loss of stock and/or compensation and more.

For these reasons it’s well worthwhile for any employer to consider sending their forklift operators on regular refresher courses and training.

It keeps employees up to date of with any changes in their responsibilities, operating procedures or paperwork.

It also helps correct any poor driving or working routines that may have crept in to their behaviour.

It’s possible for employers (or employees) to book refresher courses with Registered Training Organisations. These can be undertaken at the premises of the organisation or, where there are sufficient employees training, can often be undertaken at the workplace depending on the training organisation.

Refreshing the skills of your forklift operators can reduce the incidence of accidents and injuries in the workplace reduce the costs of these accidents and injuries to the employer and help the employer satisfy the obligations imposed on them by law to maintain a safe workplace.

And it may also increase productivity in the workplace.

If you’re an employer, or an experienced forklift operator, consider the possibility of forklift refresher training, it’s well worthwhile.